Director Punit Malhotra planned to start the sequel to his hit rom-com I Hate Luv Storys, with Sonam Kapoor and Imran Khan reprising their roles. But Imran backed out of the film…what next?

Now the offer of male lead is up for grabs and Bollywood hotties Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh are the hottest contenders, we hear.

Sonam and Shahid tried their together-chemistry in Pankaj Kapur’s Mausam and we all know how that ended, so we do not really think that Punit will want to repeat the couple. On the other hand, Ranveer Singh is fast becoming the most wanted actor for directors and producers alike. And Punit may just take his chances with this talented newbie, especially after both his films, Band Bajaa Baraat and Ladies VS Ricky Bahl have done wonders at the BO. But in all this we wonder why Imran backed out at all, especially considering the fact that I Hate Luv Storys was his first hit film post Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na after the disasters of Kidnap and Luck. According to a li’l birdie in B’Town, Imran backed out of the film citing date reasons, but somehow we kinda find that hard to believe, since he has only a couple of films on hand after Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Rumours whisper that the real reason for his refusal is that the actor wants to change his image as a romantic actor, aiming to do more experimental roles, like with Delhi Belly, which did amazingly well as a rather offbeat production. Now that’s definitely a big step for our Immie, wethinks. While we are not so sure if it’s the right move for the choco-faced boy, we wish him the best. In the meanwhile, the tussle between Shahid and Ranveer over Dharma Productions’ next is the one we are eagerly waiting for a resolution to. So who are you rooting for? Tell us…